• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.711-734
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• 2012

The foundation of a tall building frame resting on settable soil mass undergoes differential settlements which alter the forces in the structural members significantly. For tall buildings it is essential to consider seismic forces in analysis. The building frame, foundation and soil mass are considered to act as single integral compatible structural unit. The stress-strain characteristics of the supporting soil play a vital role in the interaction analysis. The resulting differential settlements of the soil mass are responsible for the redistribution of forces in the superstructure. In the present work, the nonlinear interaction analysis of a two-bay ten-storey plane building frame- layered soil system under seismic loading has been carried out using the coupled finite-infinite elements. The frame has been considered to act in linear elastic manner while the soil mass to act as nonlinear elastic manner. The subsoil in reality exists in layered formation and consists of various soil layers having different properties. Each individual soil layer in reality can be considered to behave in nonlinear manner. The nonlinear layered system as a whole will undergo differential settlements. Thus, it becomes essential to study the structural behaviour of a structure resting on such nonlinear composite layered soil system. The nonlinear constitutive hyperbolic soil model available in the literature is adopted to model the nonlinear behaviour of the soil mass. The structural behaviour of the interaction system is investigated as the shear forces and bending moments in superstructure get significantly altered due to differential settlements of the soil mass.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.1065-1084
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• 2016

The analysis and design of skeletal structures is greatly influenced by the behaviour of beam-to-column connections, where patented designs have led to a wide range of types with differing structural quantities. The behaviour of beam-to-column connections plays an important role in the analysis and design of framed structures. This paper presents an overview of the influence of connection behaviour on structural stability, in the in-plane (bending) mode of sway. A computer-based method is presented for geometrically nonlinear plane frames with semi-rigid connections accounting for shear deformations. The analytical procedure employs transcendental modified stability functions to model the effect of axial force on the stiffness of members. The member stiffness matrix were found. The critical load has been searched as a suitable load parameter for the loss of stability of the system. Several examples are presented to demonstrate the validity of the analysis procedure. The method is readily implemented on a computer using matrix structural analysis techniques and is applicable for the efficient nonlinear analysis of frameworks. Combined with a parametric column effective length study, connection and frame stiffness are used to propose a method for the analysis of semi-rigid frames where column effective lengths are greatly reduced and second order (deflection induced) bending moments in the column may be distributed via the connectors to the beams, leading to significant economies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.85-107
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• 2012

The building frame and its foundation along with the soil on which it rests, together constitute a complete structural system. In the conventional analysis, a structure is analysed as an independent frame assuming unyielding supports and the interactive response of soil-foundation is disregarded. This kind of analysis does not provide realistic behaviour and sometimes may cause failure of the structure. Also, the conventional analysis considers infill wall as non-structural elements and ignores its interaction with the bounding frame. In fact, the infill wall provides lateral stiffness and thus plays vital role in resisting the seismic forces. Thus, it is essential to consider its effect especially in case of high rise buildings. In the present research work the building frame, infill wall, isolated column footings (open foundation) and soil mass are considered to act as a single integral compatible structural unit to predict the nonlinear interaction behaviour of the composite system under seismic forces. The coupled isoparametric finite-infinite elements have been used for modelling of the interaction system. The material of the frame, infill and column footings has been assumed to follow perfectly linear elastic relationship whereas the well known hyperbolic soil model is used to account for the nonlinearity of the soil mass.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.139-148
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• 2019

The lightweight structures such as domes are particularly vulnerable when it has been subjected to high temperature induced by the fire. It is therefore crucial to predict the possible instability path of structures exposed to the fire in structural design process. In this study, the instabilities of single-layer domes is investigated by using finite element technologies with the consideration of high temperature. The material properties of members under high temperature are considered by using the reduction factors which is provided in Eurocodes 3. Some damage patterns are assumed with use of a structural unit which is symmetric in radial direction. For numerical evaluations, the geometrically nonlinear truss element is implemented and the arch-length control method is employed to trace the post-buckling behaviour of domes. From numerical results, it is found to be that a significant change of post-buckling behaviour is detected in dome structures when structural members are exposed to the fire.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.511-522
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• 2022

An experimental investigation to study the behaviour of connections between cold-formed steel (CFS) joist and plywood structural panel is presented in this paper. Material testing on CFS and plywood was carried out to assess their mechanical properties and behaviour. Push-out tests were conducted to determine the slip modulus and failure modes of three different shear connection types. The employed shear connectors in the study were; size 14 (6mm diameter) self-drilling screw, M12 coach screw, and M12 nut and bolt. The effective bending stiffness of composite cold-formed steel and plywood T-beam assembly is calculated based on the slip modulus values computed from push-out tests. The effective bending stiffness was increased by 25.5%, 18% and 30.2% for self-drilling screw, coach screw, nut and bolt, respectively, over the stiffness of cold-formed steel joist alone. This finding suggests the potential to enhance the structural performance of composite cold-formed steel and timber flooring system by mobilisation of composite action present between timber sheathing and CFS joist.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.177-190
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• 1996

A method to numerically evaluate the behaviour of single span beams, prestressed with external tendons and symmetrically loaded is presented. This algorithm, based on the Finite Difference Method, includes second order effects and large displacements in an attempt to more fully understand the behaviour of the beam up to collapse. The numerical technique discussed is particularly appropriate for the analysis of R.C. and P.C. beams rehabilitated or strengthened by means of external prestressing but it is reliable for the analysis of new beams as well.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.3 no.6
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• pp.593-609
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• 1995

The presence of reinforcement has a significant influence on the stress-strain behaviour of reinforced concrete structures, expecially when the failure stage of the structures is approached. In the present paper, the constrained and non-constrained zones of concrete due to the presence of reinforcement is developed and the stress-stress-strain behaviour of concrete is enhanced by a reinforcement confinement coefficient, Furthermore, a flexible method for the modelling of reinforcement with arbitrary orientation and not passing the nodes of concrete element is also proposed. Numerical examples and laboratory tests have shown that the coefficient and the modelling technique proposed by the author are satisfactory.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.383-407
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• 2012

A numerical approach to simulate the behaviour of timber shear walls under both static and dynamic loading is proposed. Because the behaviour of timber shear walls hinges on the behaviour of the nail connections, the force-displacement behaviour of sheathing-to-framing nail connections are first determined and then used to define the hysteretic properties of finite elements representing these connections. The model nails are subsequently implemented into model walls. The model walls are verified using experimental results for both monotonic and cyclic loading. It is demonstrated that the complex hysteretic behaviour of timber shear walls can be reasonably represented using model shear walls in which nonlinear material failure is concentrated only at the sheathing-to-framing nail connections.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.501-516
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• 2017

Numerical simulations are prevalently used to evaluate the seismic behaviour of structures. The accuracy of the simulation results depends directly on the accuracy of the modelling techniques employed to simulate the behaviour of individual structural members. An empirical modelling technique is employed in this paper to simulate the behaviour of column members under cyclic and seismic loading. Despite the common modelling techniques, this technique is capable of simulating two important aspects of the cyclic and seismic behaviour of columns simultaneously. The proposed fiber-based modelling technique captures explicitly the interaction between the bending moment and the axial force in columns, and the cyclic deterioration of the hysteretic behaviour of these members is implicitly taken into account. The fiber-based model is calibrated based on the cyclic behaviour of square hollow steel sections. The behaviour of several column archetypes is investigated under a dual cyclic loading protocol to develop a benchmark database before the calibration procedure. The dual loading protocol used in this study consists of both axial and lateral loading cycles with varying amplitudes. After the calibration procedure, a regression analysis is conducted to derive an equation for predicting a varying calibrated modelling parameter. Finally, several nonlinear time-history analyses are conducted on a 6-story steel special moment frame in order to investigate how the results of numerical simulations can be affected by employing the intended modelling technique for columns instead of other common modelling techniques.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.501-520
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• 2015

Presence of torsional loadings can significantly affect the flow of internal forces and deformation capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) columns. It increases the possibility of brittle shear failure leading to catastrophic collapse of structural members. This necessitates accurate prediction of the torsional behaviour of RC members for their safe design. However, a review of previously published studies indicates that the torsional behaviour of RC members has not been studied in as much depth as the behaviour under flexure and shear in spite of its frequent occurrence in bridge columns. Very few analytical models are available to predict the response of RC members under torsional loads. Softened truss model (STM) developed in the University of Houston is one of them, which is widely used for this purpose. The present study shows that STM prediction is not sufficiently accurate particularly in the post cracking region when compared to test results. An improved analytical model for RC square columns subjected to torsion with and without axial compression is developed. Since concrete is weak in tension, its contribution to torsional capacity of RC members was neglected in the original STM. The present investigation revealed that, disregard to tensile strength of concrete is the main reason behind the discrepancies in the STM predictions. The existing STM is extended in this paper to include the effect of tension stiffening for better prediction of behaviour of square RC columns under torsion. Three different tension stiffening models comprising a linear, a quadratic and an exponential relationship have been considered in this study. The predictions of these models are validated through comparison with test data on local and global behaviour. It was observed that tension stiffening has significant influence on torsional behaviour of square RC members. The exponential and parabolic tension stiffening models were found to yield the most accurate predictions.